SCAR template: a free supplier corrective action request form

What a SCAR is

A SCAR (supplier corrective action request) is the formal request a customer sends when a supplier’s parts or service don’t meet a requirement. It records what was found, sets dates for containment and for the answer, and asks the supplier to find the root cause and fix it. Most customers expect that answer in 8D form. The SCAR is the question; the 8D is the answer; and your internal CAPA record tracks the same case in your own system.

This template keeps all three parts on one form: Part A, the request (customer); Part B, the 8D response (supplier); Part C, review and closure (customer). The fields are generic. If your customer has its own form, portal or customer-specific requirements (CSR), those come first.

How to fill in Part A: the request

• Issuer and supplier: SCAR number, date, who issued it and a contact, the related complaint or NCR number, and the supplier site and contact. The SCAR number is what links every later document.
• Part: part number and revision, lot, batch or date codes, and where the problem was found (incoming, on the line, in the field).
• Nonconformance description: what was found, against which requirement (drawing dimension, specification, clause), with measured values. Write it so the supplier can reproduce the finding.
• Quantity: received, suspect and confirmed bad, and how they were counted.
• Evidence: photos, measurement reports, returned parts. A SCAR without evidence usually starts with a week of questions.
• Dates: containment required by, D3 report due, root cause due, full 8D due and when effectiveness evidence is expected. Check the 8D deadline calculator if the dates are in working days.

How the supplier answers in Part B: the 8D

Part B has a response area for each discipline. Short version of what goes in each:

• D1 team: names and functions, including the owner of the process that made the part. See D1 team formation.
• D2 problem: restate the problem in your own words, with numbers and an is / is-not summary.
• D3 containment: every location (your plant, in transit, at the customer), quantities checked and rejected, and how clean parts are marked. See the D3 containment evidence checklist.
• D4 root cause: why it was made and why it wasn’t detected, each with verification. See how to write a D4 root cause and the 5 Whys template.
• D5 and D6: one permanent action per verified cause, then data after the change against criteria set in advance. See D6 verification of effectiveness.
• D7 and D8: updated PFMEA, control plan and work instructions, read-across to similar parts, then closure. Propose closure only when D6 and D7 are done; otherwise submit it as open with dates.

Before you send, go through the supplier SCAR 8D checklist. It lists the gaps that most often send a SCAR response back. If you need the full 8D as a separate document, use the 8D report template.

How to fill in Part C: review and closure

The customer records who reviewed the response, the date, and the decision: accepted, more information needed, or rejected, with the questions written out. Effectiveness is often checked later, so the form has a separate line for how and when it was checked, and a final line for closing the SCAR. Suppliers should keep a copy of each round; if a response comes back, see 8D rejected? What to do next.

Illustrative example: hole position on a bracket

This example is fictional and only shows how a filled SCAR reads.

Note what makes it readable: the requirement is named, quantities add up, containment covers stock in transit, and both root causes say how they were verified.

Common mistakes on a SCAR

• The description says “out of spec” with no requirement or measured value.
• No evidence attached, or returned parts not traceable to a lot.
• Containment covers only the customer’s stock, not parts in transit or at the supplier.
• D4 has an occurrence cause but no escape cause.
• Closure is proposed before any data after the change exists.

Issuing SCARs after a supplier audit? The free supplier quality audit checklist (Word or PDF, free, no card) has an evidence column and a findings table you can turn into SCARs.

FAQ

Is a SCAR the same as an 8D?

No. The SCAR is the customer’s request; the 8D is the supplier’s answer. Many customers put the 8D sections directly on the SCAR form, as this template does. For what the answer should cover, see the SCAR 8D checklist.

Can I use this template instead of my customer’s form?

Only if the customer allows it. If the customer has its own SCAR form, portal or customer-specific requirements (CSR), use their format. This template is a generic starting point and a way to structure your draft.

What does 8D Gate check?

It gives a pre-send readiness check on the 8D text: an Accept / Conditional / Reject advisory with missing evidence and questions. It isn’t a customer decision. The review tool is v0.1: it reviews English 8D reports, and the interface and report are in English. Templates are also available in German, Czech and Polish.

Free pre-send readiness check

Before the 8D goes back to the customer, run the text through the free supplier 8D readiness check.

Get the free 8D / D4 checklist

Keep the one-page version next to the SCAR. It covers D1–D8 and goes deeper on root cause, escape and verification.